MASON CITY – A judge known by many in North Iowa for extreme leniency is considering a new sentence for a man convicted as a 17-year-old of murder.
Damion Seats, now 22 years of age, was transported back to Mason City this week, where he and two other teens shot and killed Isidoro Erreguin, 28, at a North End house in August of 2008. Seats has been serving a life sentence since 2009 after being convicted of 1st degree murder. He was also sentenced to 25 years in prison – to run concurrently – for 1st degree burglary.
Now, Seats has demanded a new sentence in the case, as some say the sentence was too harsh due to the fact that Seats was not a legal adult at the time of the crime. He was in court Friday where Judge Colleen Weiland heard arguments for and against a sentence change for Seats.
Weiland – who earlier this year sentenced a Clarion man who had faced up to 25 years in prison for breaking an infant’s legs to a suspended jail sentence – is expected to make a ruling early next week.
What do you think… should Weiland go easy on Seats, or send him back to Fort Madison for life?
42 thoughts on “Judge Colleen Weiland considering new sentence for convicted murderer Damion Seats”
Libtard monkey lover!
If this young man gets a lighter sentence I will vomit. I know him and the question was never IF he would take a life. The question was WHEN. No regard for authority, rules, laws, or life. I will guarantee one thing and that is if he is let out of prison at ANY time, he will kill again. Keep him behind bars until he dies.
How about this: if a judge lets someone off easy and that person commits another crime, that judge is then charged with aiding and abetting a criminal…just an idea.
Are you retarded? Or just an Iowan.
Wow! Thanks for attacking me. I would have to say that this, along with some of your other posts, pretty much destroys any credibility that you might have had. How does it feel to just be taking up space and wasting oxygen that could have been put to use for something constructive?
…I have said this before, and I will continue to say this…Prisons will “never” be overcrowded until they can’t close the door or nobody can sit down! Take all my tax dollars you want…and build more prisons…doing that provides for more well paying jobs for the rest of us!
And there you have it! The real reason Iowans want everyone in prison. So they have less people to compete with in the job market.
You must be an ex-con for sure. Your pro-criminal stance is pathetic.
He has to rationalize and justify his illegal drug use some how.
Using cannabis is not a crime where I live. In fact it’s not even a crime 20 miles North from you. It’s a traffic ticket. You can’t even be arrested for under 1.5 oz.
Don’t me because I’m a free man. LOL
@Mason City Resident-Not to worry. The drugger SUCKS will be back in jail real soon. Some of my police friends are watching him.
So you can’t compete with others in the job market, so this is your way of eliminating the competition?
It’s not going to do you any good when all your income goes to taxes. Everyone you send to prison gets to apply for SSI while still in prison adding to the cost of running he actual prison.
Lawsteward revealed a primary reason for the drug war. One I’ve always suspected. People really like the idea of destroying the other guy to benefit themselves. This drug war is really about blowing out other peoples candles to make yours shine brighter. If they only stick to booze and cigs it gives them an edge.
Where I grew up, we did not want people around us who used illegal drugs. It was a simple concept, if they broke the law using drugs on a continuing basis, what other laws would/did they break? Who wanted those types around them?
Ostracism and guilt worked well for a time, it kept the neer-do-well’s away. Later, people used economic means to keep those who they feared (with very good and real cause) away from their homes and families. Mind you this is aside from those, who sadly classified people by race or skin colour, as they are a different animal, not to mention quite repulsive. It was as I observed, purely based upon behavior (illegal drugs).
You and liars like yourself are a good reason why Iowa is losing population and the West Coast are seeing small towns double in population every ten years.
You still refuse to answer the question, what is the lie? With Clinical trials almost a decade ago, Marinol is legal, and appropriate in a lot of cases.
OK, ONE more time Because Marinol does NOT contain cannabinoids.
This from the US patent on cannabis it got in 2003—>
“Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”
“Dronabinol, the active ingredient in MARINOL® Capsules, is synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC).”
“Dronabinol is an orally active cannabinoid which, like other cannabinoids, has complex effects on the central nervous system (CNS), including central sympathomimetic activity.”
Now, you were saying?
It’s ONE cannabinoid, the delta 9 cannabinoid. Cannabis contains 66 PLUS CBD and CBN. Now read the doctors post.
I’m done with you, that’s it. You don’t want to learn or listen. All you want to do is lie about things you know nothing about. You’re too dumb to even interpret what you copy and paste. No sense in even trying to educate you. All you’re interested in is making up some dumb excuse to ban cannabis because it’s what you’ve always done and will continue to do no matter who tells you what. It doesn’t matter if the government or health industry or even scientists show you why you’re wrong, you’ll always insist you know more than everyone. Your mind is made up and a thousand doctors couldn’t tell you any different so that’s it for me. You’re just a drunk. Arguing with a drunk here.
Marinol Lacks Several of the Therapeutic Compounds Available in Natural Cannabis
Chemical compounds in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, are responsible for its numerous therapeutic benefits. Scientists have identified 66 naturally occurring cannabinoids.3
The active ingredient in Marinol, synthetic delta-9-tetrahyrdocannabinol (THC), is an analogue of one such compound, THC. However, several other cannabinoids available in cannabis — in addition to naturally occurring terpenoids (oils) and flavonoids (phenols) — have also been clinically demonstrated to possess therapeutic utility. Many patients favor natural cannabis to Marinol because it includes these other therapeutically active cannabinoids.
For example, cannabidol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that has been clinically demonstrated to have analgesic, antispasmodic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antinausea, and anti-rheumatoid arthritic properties.4
Animal and human studies have shown CBD to possess anti-convulsant properties, particularly in the treatment of epilepsy.5 Natural extracts of CBD, when administered in combination with THC, significantly reduce pain, spasticity and other symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients unresponsive to standard treatment medications.6
Clinical studies also demonstrate CBD to be neuroprotective against glutamate neurotoxicity7 (i.e. stroke), cerebral infarction8 (localized cell death in the brain), and ethanol-induced neurotoxicity,9 with CBD being more protective against glutamate neurotoxicity than either ascorbate (vitamin C) or alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E).10 Clinical trials have also shown CBD to possess anti-tumoral properties,11inhibiting the growth of glioma (brain tumor) cells in a dose dependent manner and selectively inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) in malignant cells.12
Additional cannabinoids possessing clinically demonstrated therapeutic properties include: cannabinol (anticonvulsant13 and anti-inflammatory14 activity); cannabichromine (anti-inflammatory15 and antidepressant16 activity); and cannabigerol (anti-tumoral17 and analgesic18 activity). Natural cannabis’ essential oil components (terpenoids) exhibit anti-inflammatory properties19 and its flavonoids possess antioxidant activity.20 Emerging clinical evidence indicates that cannabinoids may slow disease progression21 in certain autoimmune and neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis22 (MS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis23 (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Huntington’s Disease.24
Clinical data indicate that the synergism of these compounds is likely more efficacious25 than the administration of synthetic THC alone.26 For example, McPartland and Russo write: “Good evidence shows that secondary compounds in cannabis may enhance beneficial effects of THC. Other cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid compounds in herbal cannabis … may reduce THC-induced anxiety, cholinergic deficits, and immunosuppression. Cannabis terpenoids and flavonoids may also increase cerebral blood flow, enhance cortical activity, kill respiratory pathogens, and provide anti-inflammatory activity.”27 In an in vitro model of epilepsy, natural cannabis extracts performed better than THC alone.28In human trials, patients suffering from multiple sclerosis experienced greater symptomatic relief from sublingual natural cannabis extracts than from the administration of oral THC.29 In 2005, Health Canada approved the oral spray Sativex30 — which contains precise ratios of the natural cannabinoid extracts THC and CBD, among other compounds — for prescription use for MS-related symptoms.31
Marinol is More Psychoactive Than Natural Cannabis
Patients prescribed Marinol frequently report that its psychoactive effects are far greater than those of natural cannabis. Marinol’s adverse effects include: feeling “high,” drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, anxiety, changes in mood, muddled thinking, perceptual difficulties, coordination impairment, irritability, and depression.32 These psychoactive effects may last four to six hours.33 About one-third of patients prescribed Marinol report experiencing one or some of these adverse effects.34
Marinol’s oral route of administration is responsible, in part, for its heightened psychoactivity compared to inhaled cannabis. Once swallowed, Marinol passes from the stomach to the small intestine before being absorbed into the bloodstream. Following absorption, Marinol passes through the liver where a significant proportion of the drug is metabolized into other chemicals.35 One of these chemicals, 11-hydroxy-THC, may be four to five times more potent than natural THC,36 and is produced in greater quantities.37 Thus, patients administered Marinol experience the psychoactive effects of both THC and 11-hydroxy-THC, greatly increasing the likelihood that they will suffer from an adverse psychological reaction. By comparison, only minute quantities of 11-hydroxy-THC are produced when cannabis is inhaled.38 Moreover, Marinol lacks the compound cannabidiol, which possesses anxiolytic activity and likely modifies and/or diminishes much of THC’s psychoactivity in natural cannabis.39
Cannabis Vaporization Offers Advantages Over Orally Administered THC
Vaporization is an alternative method of cannabis administration that holds distinct advantages over both smoking and oral administration. Cannabis vaporization suppresses respiratory toxins by heating cannabis to a temperature where cannabinoid vapors form (typically around 180-190 degrees Celsius), but below the point of combustion where noxious smoke and associated toxins (i.e., carcinogenic hydrocarbons) are produced (near 230 degrees Celsius).40 Although a comprehensive review of cannabis and health conducted by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine found “no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use,”41 studies have found that heavy cannabis smokers face a higher risk of contracting bronchitis and respiratory illnesses.42 This risk is likely not due to the inhalation of cannabinoids, but rather to the exposure of noxious smoke. Because vaporization can deliver therapeutic doses of cannabinoids while reducing the users intake of pyrolytic smoke compounds, it is considered to be a preferred and likely safer method of cannabis administration than smoking.43
In practice, cannabis vaporization offers considerable advantages over oral THC consumption. While the oral ingestion of Marinol avoids the potential risks of smoking, it has significant drawbacks. Because of synthetic THC’s poor bioavailability, only 5-20 percent of an oral dose ever reaches the bloodstream44 and the drug may not achieve peak effect until four hours after dosing.45 Moreover, because Marinol is metabolized slowly, its therapeutic and psychoactive effects may be unpredictable and vary considerably, both from one person to another, and in the same person from one episode of use to another.46 By contrast, cannabis vaporization delivers cannabinoids to the bloodstream almost instantaneously.47 Vaporization’s rapid onset also allows patients to self regulate their dosage of cannabinoids by immediately ceasing inhalation when/if their psychoactive effects become unpleasant.48After oral administration of Marinol, patients have no choice but to experience the full psychoactive effects of the dose consumed. These dysphoric effects may last several hours.
Because of its rapid onset, vaporized cannabis is more desirable than Marinol for patients requiring a fast-acting therapeutic agent, such as those combating oncoming attacks of nausea, seizures or muscle spasms. Cannabis vaporization also offers a unique advantage to patients suffering from nausea and vomiting because it allows them an alternative delivery route to swallowing. Cancer and HIV/AIDS patients often report that their stomachs cannot hold down Marinol capsules during bouts of severe nausea49 and many rely on natural cannabis and cannabinoids for symptom control.50 In a 1994 survey of oncologists, respondents ranked synthetic THC ninth on a list of available antiemetic medications.51In another survey of oncologists, 44 percent of respondents said that they believed natural cannabis to be more efficacious than oral synthetic THC; only 13 percent of respondents rated Marinol more effective.52 A 1997 survey of physicians found that a majority preferred megestrol acetate over Marinol as an appetite stimulant in patients with HIV/AIDS.53
As a result of Marinol’s slow onset and poor bioavailablity, scientists are now in the process of developing a new formulation of pulmonary dronabinol, delivered with a pressurized metered dose inhaler.54 In a Phase I study, pulmonary Marinol delivered via an inhaler provided rapid systemic absorption. Unlike oral synthetic THC, it’s possible that pulmonary Marinol “could offer an alternative for patients when a fast onset of action is desirable.”55 However, FDA approval of pulmonary Marinol and/or its inhaler remains years away. Sativex, an oral cannabis spray consisting of natural cannabinoid extracts, has greater bioavailability and is faster acting than oral synthetic THC. Clinical trials comparing its bioavailability and time of peak onset compared to vaporized cannabis have not been performed, though anecdotal reports indicate that vaporized cannabis and its cannabinoids likely possess greater bioavailability and are faster acting than the Sativex spray.
Marinol is More Expensive Than Natural Cannabis
Synthetic THC is a costly and difficult compound to manufacture.56 Much of this cost is passed on to the patient consumer, particularly if the full cost of Marinol (approximately $200 to $800 per month,57depending on the dosage) is borne out of pocket. Patients, particularly those with chronic conditions, often report that Marinol’s market cost limits their use of the drug.58 Doctors also report that Marinol’s high cost dissuades them from prescribing it to patients. In one survey of HIV/AIDS specialists, among respondents who had never prescribed Marinol to their patients, 33 percent cited the high cost of the drug as the reason.59 Natural cannabis, even at its inflated black market value, often remains far less costly for patients than oral synthetic THC.60
Patients Ultimately Prefer Natural Cannabis to Marinol
In the 1970s and 1980s, several states conducted patient trials61 of natural cannabis’ effectiveness as an anti-emetic in cancer patients unresponsive to conventional therapies. Some state protocols allowed patients to choose between inhaled cannabis62 and synthetic THC. In those studies which compared natural cannabis to dronabinol, inhaled cannabis was equal to or better than the oral administration of synthetic THC.63
For example, researchers at the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy found a “23 percent higher success rate among those patients smoking than among those patients administered THC capsules” in the treatment of nausea and/or vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy.64
Researchers in New Mexico observed similar findings. “When the routes of [drug] administration were analyzed separately, it was found that inhalation was far superior to ingestion: 90.39 percent of the patients in the group that inhaled the marijuana showed improvement while only 59.65 percent of the patients in the group that orally ingested the delta-9-THC showed improvement,” they concluded.65
Researchers at the California Board of Pharmacy found that inhaled cannabis and oral THC produced similar results in patients. However, physicians still rated natural cannabis as slightly more effective than oral THC as an anti-emetic.66
A 1988 New York State pilot study comparing inhaled cannabis to oral THC in cancer chemotherapy patients who were unresponsive to standard antiemetic agents found: “Twenty-nine percent of patients who failed oral THC responded to the cigarette form. … Our results demonstrate that inhalation marijuana is an effective therapy for the treatment of nausea and vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy.”67
Today, several patient populations continue to use natural cannabis and its cannabinoids in large numbers despite its illegality and the availability of Marinol. A 2005 British survey of more than 500 HIV/AIDS patients found that one-third of respondents use natural cannabis for symptomatic relief, with more than 90 percent of them reporting that it improves their appetite, muscle pain and other symptoms.68 A previous US survey found that approximately one out of four patients with HIV had used natural cannabis medicinally in the past month.69
Cannabis use is also prevalent among patients with neurologic disorders. Nearly four out of ten Dutch patients with prescriptions for “medical grade cannabis” (cannabis provided by Dutch pharmacies with a standardized THC content of 10.2 percent) use it to treat MS or spinal cord injuries, according to survey data published in 2005 in the journal Neurology.70 Perceived efficacy is greater among respondents who inhale cannabis versus those who ingest it orally, the study found.71
A 2002 British survey of MS patients found that 43 percent of respondents used natural cannabis therapeutically, with about half admitting they used it regularly.72 Seventy-six percent said they would do so if cannabis were legal.73 A Canadian survey of MS patients found that 96 percent of respondents were “aware cannabis was potentially therapeutically useful for MS and most (72 percent) supported [its] legalization for medicinal purposes.”74 Sixteen percent of respondents answered that they use natural cannabis for medical purposes to treat symptoms of anxiety/depression, spasticity and chronic pain.75
A more recent Canadian survey published in Neurology reported that 14 percent of MS76 patients and 21 percent of respondents with epilepsy had used medical cannabis in the past year.77 Among epileptics, twenty-four percent of respondents said that they believed that cannabis was an effective therapy for the disease.78 A 2002 survey of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) found that 25 percent of respondents had tried cannabis, with nearly half of those saying that it provided them symptomatic relief.79
Conclusion
Oral synthetic THC, legally available by prescription as Marinol, often provides only limited relief to a select group of patients, particularly when compared to natural cannabis and its cannabinoids. Patients often experience minimal relief from Marinol and many experience unwanted side effects. In addition, many physicians are hesitant to prescribe the drug, and some patients are unable to afford it. Despite Marinol’s legality, many patient populations continue to risk arrest and criminal prosecution to use natural cannabis medically, and most report experiencing greater therapeutic relief from it.
The active ingredient in Marinol is a synthetic analogue of only one of the compounds in cannabis that is therapeutically beneficial to patients. By prohibiting the possession and use of natural cannabis and its cannabinoids, patients are unnecessarily burdened to use a synthetic substitute that lacks much of the therapeutic efficacy of natural cannabis and its cannabinoids.
Marinol should remain a legal option for patients and physicians and the development of additional cannabis-based pharmaceuticals should be encouraged. However, federal and state laws should be amended to allow for those patients who are unresponsive to synthetic THC, or simply desire an alternative to oral dronabinol, the ability to use natural cannabis and its cannabinoids as a legal medical therapy without fear of arrest and/or criminal prosecution.
Give me a break! All you clowns want everyone to receive a maximum sentence until it’s YOU before the judge. Then you want leniency.
Uh…here’s a novel idea jackass….DON’T DO ANYTHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO GO BEFORE A JUDGE!!! That’s how I roll so I don’t have to worry about asking for leniency! Is that too hard a concept to figure out??? Must be for some…like YOU.
You commit murder like Seats did…MAXIMUM SENTENCE. He shot someone IN COLD BLOOD. He was a coward and had no regard for someone else’s life. He should pay for it with all the life he has left. LIFE in prison…no parole. PERIOD. The only problem with that is he’ll get to watch cable on our dime and have all kinds of other luxuries and that’s crap but that’s a whole other bitch of mine. They would NOT be lifting weights and watching cable in my prison. They’d be doing hard labor for society.
I’m not talking about this specific case you moron.
So you’re just TROLLING on this thread then is that it?
You’re right…i was a moron to think you were talking about THIS story. Lol. I should have known you were just being a blubbering idiot. Thanks for clearing that up!
“Bo” you are correct but it seems like she is always the judge that is in the paper for this kind of stuff. 18 should be the legal age and that goes for voting, drinking, entering the service. What ever happened to the other 2 young me that was with Seats in this murder trial?
There is more than likely a lot of back room dealing going on when the judge (doesn’t matter which one) gives a lesser sentence than you would like. And in some cases that is probably a good thing because most back room dealing revolves around turning in other offenders. Those other offenders are the ones who supply or finance more than one dealer. The judge in this case will do what the county attorney wants. It is that person who makes the deals and then presents the case to the court.
In addition, our prisons are overflowing now. When one person is admitted to prison, someone else has to be released to make room for the new one.
And Nichole is correct. The new sentencing comes from a higher court ruling that says all juveniles who have been sentenced to life imprisonment need to have their sentencing reviewed. It does not say they have to be released but it makes the point that life imprisonment for juveniles shouldn’t be a cut and dried decision. I know you who disagree will howl that a 17 year old knows what he did is wrong and you are right. But where do we draw the line? At 12? At 14? At 6? Tough question.
She is a worthless judge and should be empeached by the govenor. Just today that ferdon kid got his 3rd owi and guess who gave him a free pass? This lady sho calls herself a judge. What a waste of a position. Shw must be a pill popper (sleeping pills) cause she cant sleep normal knowing all the fricken idiots she has let go.
I don’t think she cares at all. She’s no friend of the justice system or its taxpayers. She is a friend of the criminal. Man, they have got to love her and hope she hears their cases.
yep thats cerro gordo for u just like in oglesby case kaleb Tyler broke in house assaults him with a sledge hammer he gets 3 rd degree criminal mistchief should have been b& e and attepted attempted murder instead they try to put oglesby in prison for 17 years for defending him self kaleb is grandson of ex cop dave Tyler grandma ann worked at county attorney office det Duane kemna wouldn’t alow oglesby to press charges on Tyler even though proof was over wellming there all corrupt and dirty cops likd kemba give any decent law officers a bad name i wouldn’t pee on any of them if they were on fire funny how they say they accidently chargeed oglesby after he turned them into fbi and department of justice there all dirty serve and protect what a joke
i knew him pretty well and letting this kid back on the streets would result in another murder in near future, this judge needs to be fired immediately. and to the dumb ass who thinks he should be let out. He ran in a home killed a man that was sleeping that he didnt even know. why should this peice of shit be given a reduced sentence?
She will probably give him probation just like she does with all the other criminals. IOWA SUCKS is an IDIOT.
I agree! Complete idiot.
Leave this judge alone NIT! If we put everyone in prison you’d like in prison, more people would be in prison than out! Reserve prison for violent offenders! And that’s what this good judge does.
Aw thats cute
Now
Go to your room!
Murder is non-violent?
Exactly. @Iowa Sucks, that has got to be one of the dumbest posts on here in a long time. I’m embarrassed for you.
This judge is very lenient. I think she’s lenient because she’s afraid to use the power her position gives her. I have to admit, it would be a job that I wouldn’t want. I would be afraid of having these loser criminals back on the street after handing them a severe sentence. Still, that’s what we taxpayers pay for. If she can’t do the job, maybe it’s just too scary, and time to move on.
Good job NIT for bringing this to the public.
Extreme leniency? Give me a break!
Do you think you’d be safer by destroying everyone’s lives permanently that comes before her court for any crime? You’d be less safe in the long run, because most everyone gets out of prison at some point and desperate people do desperate things.
Enough of this biased crap NIT! You’re no goody goody, perfect people yourselves. We should put people in prison who are a danger to others, not those we simply dislike. When you destroy a persons ability to make money and live a normal life you are, in effect making things less safe.
Screwballs like LVS posting his hater crap is one thing, but it shouldn’t come from NIT stories.
You are not perfect by a long shot yourself.
And what about the life he took?
Colleen sucks, just like “Iowa Sucks”. Seats took a life. He doesn’t deserve a lighter sentence. If you truly think that “Iowa Sucks” then I have to tell you what you obviously don’t know…you’re an idiot. NO…a dumbass. NIT has nothing to do with hating on her. NIT is simply point out the facts. And in this case, like most of her cases…she’s too chicken to do her job and she should be replaced.
At 17, you know right from wrong. He should not get a reduced sentence.
This is because of United States and Iowa Supreme Court rulings.